During the course of infant care, it is often desirable to place the infant on an extended flat surface such as a room floor and allow the infant to rest upon the floor without danger of falling or encountering dangerous objects. Through the years, a number of devices have been provided which permit those caring for such infants to support a plurality of amusement, entertainment and educational or developmental devices above or near the infant. When successfully used, such apparatus contribute to child development and permit the infant to be amused and occupied for extended periods of time. In providing such apparatus, two major criteria or objectives have directed practitioners in the art in developing various types of devices. The first and foremost requires that the safety of the infant be maximized and that the apparatus not place the infant in any potential danger of injury. The second criteria seeks to maximize the entertainment value of the apparatus in order to more easily occupy the infant for extended periods of time.
The need for such apparatus has prompted practitioners in the art to develop a variety of support apparatus for infant toys. One such apparatus is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,549 issued to Yokohori which sets forth an APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING BABY TOYS in which a tubular support structure includes upwardly extending bars to which oblique bars are pivotally connected. A connecting bar extends between the oblique bars to support baby toys. The elevation of the connecting bar above the base is adjustable by pivoting the oblique bars relative to the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,719 issued to Lapid sets forth a DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING INFANT TOYS in which a suspension bar structure is adapted to be supported in a horizontal position during use for suspending a plurality of toys therefrom. A pair of supporting bars are disposed on opposite ends of the suspension bar and a pair of juncture bars join the supporting bars on opposite ends thereof in a common plane to provide an angled support for infant toys. A plurality of joints interposed between each of the bar members permits the entire structure to be folded such that the bar members are arranged in a parallel group for storage and transport. An alternate embodiment sets forth a pair of angled members having a cross member connected therebetween for supporting the toy bars. The angled members are pivotal with respect to the cross member to permit the structure to be folded into a single plane for storage and transport.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,222,020 issued to Rea sets forth an APPARATUS FOR HOLDING NURSING BOTTLES in which a pair of angled members are joined to a horizontal member to form a support structure in which the horizontal member is positioned above the infant. A pivotal junction sleeve is rotatably coupled to the horizontal cross member and includes a clamp for supporting a nursing bottle in a variety of adjustable angular positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,588 issued to Block sets forth an INFANT ARTICLE SUSPENSION STRUCTURE in which a support structure for suspending a plurality of interchangeable infant toys includes a bridge structure supported in an elevated position by a quartet of downwardly extending support members. The support structure forms a bridge element over the infant and includes a plurality of articulated joint members for varying the suspension position of the toys.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,745 issued to Harvey et al. sets forth an INFANT TOY for mounting upon or connecting to an infant seat, car seat, infant bed, stroller or the like. The structure comprises a generally U-shaped inverted member having a support plane connecting the downwardly extending side members. The side members further include adjustable clamping pads for engaging the infant seat or the like and securing the support thereto. A plurality of toy devices are suspended from the upper cross member to provide entertainment for the infant.
In addition to the foregoing described support apparatus, a plurality of related and somewhat similar structures have been provided by practitioners in the art for supporting infant amusement devices and toys in connection with infant cribs or beds. U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,610 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,640 set forth representative structures of such devices in which arcing members are secured to the crib sides and support suspended toys therefrom. U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,344, U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,538, U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,610 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,704 set forth generally related structures for supporting infant toys.
While the foregoing described structures have provided more or less satisfactory apparatus for supporting infant toys and amusement devices, there remains a continuing need in the art for support apparatus which further enhance the safety of the infant and which provide increased levels of activity and amusement for occupying and developing the infant.